Phantoms of the past
by halfanorski
Summary: An unsub is leaving a trail of bodies across the US. The BAU and some friends are engaged in a manhunt which could turn deadly for one of them. Sequel to "International cooperation" BUT can stand alone. Established JJ/Emily pairing and some fluff.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**Hello everybody, I'm back!**

**Before we get started, a few precisions are in order.**  
**First, the plot of this story can stand alone, but reading my first fic, _International cooperation_, would help you understand the dynamic between the characters, and get acquainted with the ones I created.**

**Second, this story is rated M for a very good reason, there are descriptions of tortures, abuses, assaults, deaths and maybe even sex. If you're underage or can't tolerate violence, this story isn't for you. You've been warned!**

**Oh yeah, and Criminal Minds sadly still doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

_= Unknown location, unknown time =_

_'What the hell happened to me?'_  
My head is pounding, it feels like I'm at a concert of Marilyn Manson with the worst hangover ever known to humankind. I don't even want to try to open my eyes, I'm just gonna rub my temples and wait until I'm feeling slightly better.  
That's weird. I can't move my arms. It seems I'm tied to something. Headboard? Did I have some kinky sex with a girl last night and we fell asleep before she could untie me? Oh well, it's not like it's the first time it happens. I'm trying to smile but I can't. Is this duct tape? I groan.

- "Ah, I see you're awake. Welcome back."

Definitely **NOT** a woman's voice.

I open my eyes and shut them close right away. _'Holy fuck! Way too much light in here!' _

- "I'm sorry, is the light a problem? You have a serious hangover and I am quite certain you have a concussion as well. You got acquainted with a baseball bat last night. Here, let me."

I hear the wood floor creak under heavy footsteps coming closer. _'Ugh, this guy smells like an ashtray.'_

I feel something on my face. Are those... sunglasses? Well, that's a start. Would be nice if he decided to untie me too, so I can go get water and painkillers. I open my eyes again and all I can see is a shadow walking away. I groan louder this time and pull on my arms, which are tied over my head and slightly back, to make him understand to free me. I hear him chuckle at my attempts.

Something is very wrong, dread washes over me, I am desperately trying to think but my brain is sluggish.

These damn bindings aren't moving an inch and I can't see a damn thing, he oriented a projector right at my face, I am as good as blind._ 'If this is Tony's idea of a payback prank, it's not funny at all.' _I groan again.

- "Do you want me to take the tape off your mouth?"

_'You really gotta ask, genius? Of course I want it off!'_ I nod to him and I see him walking in my direction.

- "It might hurt."

I feel him taking hold of one of the corners and pulling it. _'Shiiiiiiiiiit! It hurts like hell! I'm sure I won't have to shave for the next month at least!' _I cough and try to clear my throat.

- "Who are you? What do you want?"

My voice comes out in a broken whisper, the consequence of too much alcohol and being passed out for what I believe has been a few hours.

- "Who I am doesn't matter. What do I want... Well that's a good question and I am not sure you will like the answer."

- "Try me."

- "I want your life."

- "You want to steal my identity? Ya know, I may have a lot of money but trust me, being a CEO is far from being as glamourous as what people imagine. Especially lately."

Wow, I managed to sound sarcastic, even with a broken voice. I impress myself.

- "No, no, you misunderstood me. I don't care about your job, your money, your house, your expensive sport car or your designer clothes. I want your life. I am going to kill you."

I barely had time to register his words that I find myself drenched in ice-cold water.

- "You see, Thomas, it's the very first time I am doing this, I apologise in advance if I don't get it right right away. I need to perfect my technique, and unfortunately for you, you're my guinea pig."

I feel something pinching my left foot and my right hand. _'What's that noise? Is it a generator? What the...?'_  
Pain. Blinding, excruciating pain. My whole body is convulsing for what seems like hours, but I'm sure it lasted only mere seconds.

My bowels and bladder emptied themselves and it smells like burned flesh. My brain puts 2 and 2 together. _'Electricity. He is torturing me with electricity!'_ I barely had the time to come to this realisation that another discharge is already coursing through my body.  
I hear myself scream, then a loud 'pop', and whatever was pinching my hand falls down, effectively putting a stop to the current.

- "It looks like you dislocated your right shoulder and caused the pincher to slip. I wasn't expecting this. Interesting. More duct tape is in order, I believe."

I am trying to speak but no sound comes out of my mouth. Seeing this, he laughs. A full-belly, delighted, laughter, which makes his hands taping the attach to my hand shake. Once this task is accomplished, he pushes the button. For the third time, my body endures the torture for long, very long seconds. Longer than the previous two times. Another 'pop', and my left shoulder is also dislocated.

With my hands tied over my head and two dislocated shoulders, the strain put on my torso is as such as I can barely breathe. The pain is intolerable. I black out. I come back to my senses after being drenched in ice-cold water for the second time.

- "No, no, Thomas, stay with me. I'm not done just yet."

For the fourth time, electricity tortures my supplicating body. I can't take it anymore. Just like that, it stops. I feel him close, he is taking the cables off my hand and foot.  
My breath comes in shallow, extremely painful pants. He leans down over my head, I see he is holding something that glints in the powerful light. _'Knife!' _My brain screams but my body is unable to react. Blood now trickles from my forehead, the blade dripping with blood gliding down my cheek to rest on my throat.  
I hear him whispering into my ear.

- "Your debt is now settled."

And I know I am going to die.


	2. Chapter 2

**I had to fight a mean case of writer's block, so instead of trying to force myself to grab my pen and notebook, I read. **

**If you guys are looking for some good scandinavian crime novels, I can recommend you check out ****Yrsa Sigurdardóttir from Iceland and Helene Tursten from Sweden. I've read them in norwegian, but I am almost certain they've been translated to english.**

* * *

_= Quantico, bullpen, 14.00 GMT-5 =_

- "Got a case for us JJ?"

- "Nope, sorry Morgan. I only needed a break from all the paperwork and case files I have on my desk. There's just so much blood I can stand."

It was said in a smile but Morgan knew she was serious.

- "I don't envy your job JJ, you're the one on the team who sees the worst, day in and day out." he acquiesced gravely.

Wanting to break the suddenly heavy atmosphere, he winked at the blonde agent before sneakingly dropping the file he was reading on Prentiss's pile. Sadly for him, he hadn't been as stealthy as he thought.

- "Morgan, you drop one more of your files on my pile and I will have JJ shoot you." Emily told him without raising her eyes from the notepad she was writing on.

- "You wouldn't princess."

- "She would." JJ smirked. "In fact, she already asked me to do it 2 days ago when she caught you 'sharing' your files with Spence."

- "Huh, what JJ?"

- "Nothing, boy genius."

- "Judging by the slightly panicked tone of your voice, and the fact that JJ and Prentiss are laughing at you, I'd say they caught you dropping your files on either her desk or mine."

- "Erm...you noticed?"

- " I have an eidetic memory, Morgan. I noticed."

Emily cracked up at her desk when she saw Morgan's flabbergasted face and JJ high-fived Reid.

- "Conference room. Now."

- "Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good. Are you sure there was no case for us, Jay?"

- "Certain, Em. This one must have gone directly to Hotch."

- "And we all know what it means." Emily sighed.

- "A particularly nasty case." Morgan grimaced.

* * *

_=Quantico, conference room, 14.15 GMT-5 =_

As soon as everyone was seated, Hotch clicked on the remote.

- "Pittsburgh PD requested our help. They've had 2 murders in 8 days. The first victim is Michael Werner, 28, student at Pitt University. He was beaten to death. The second one is Gerard Nowak, 41, repeatedly drowned. He was working as a car mechanic."

- "How are they sure it's the same unsub?" Rossi asked the question which had crossed the other profilers' minds.

Clicking once more on the remote, Hotch brought up the the pictures of the bodies taken at the morgue, zooming on the victims' faces. "They both have swastikas carved on their foreheads."

- "Well that sure isn't a common signature." Emily remarked. "Did they have any ties to neo-nazi organisations? It would explain the swastikas."

- "The PD couldn't find anything pointing in this direction. So far they didn't find anything the 2 victims had in common. They're in the dark." Hotch looked around the table "Wheels up in 10."

* * *

_= In the jet, 14.45 GMT-5 =_

- "The unsub used 2 different Mos. Maybe he is trying to find the one he prefers."

- "Does it scream first-timer to you Morgan?" The crime scenes are spotless: no fibres, no hair, no blood, no skin, no DNA. Nothing."

- "Emily's right. He is incredibly organised and in control. I am almost certain he did this before." Reid mused "They didn't find any more bodies?"

- "None with our distinctive signature. And I doubt it's something he came up with only now."

- "I'm with JJ. We need to extend the search." Taking his phone from his belt, Morgan dialled Garcia's number. "Hello baby girl."

- "My chocolate god, how I miss thou. What can I do for you?"

- "Can you see if a body with a swastika was reported found in the state of Pennsylvania?"

- "Hasn't the PD already looked for this?"

- "No. Even if they had, they're not you, cupcake."

- "You, my dark love, are a charmer. Be still my heart."

JJ and Prentiss exchanged a look before rolling their eyes at the analyst's antics.

- "Zilch in the Keystone State."

- "Garcia, can you..."

- "Extend the search to the whole East Coast? My babies are already searching, boss man."

- "Extend to the entire country if you still come up empty."

- "Will do sir. Anything else?"

- "Not for now, Garcia."

- "Peace to you, my lovely crime-fighters. PG, over and out!"

- "We have no evidence, no suspects, no leads, nothing to build our profile on as our vics have nothing in common, except that they're now both dead and have been branded. If our unsub sticks to his pattern of killing every 4th day, we will find a third body today." Rossi summarized what they had, or rather not have, so far.

- "Ugh, why do I have the feeling this case is really going to suck." Emily half-sighed, half-snorted.

Morgan nodded at her, before all the profilers turned their attentions to the file once again. The jet was silent for long minutes, they were all so focused on the case, trying to find even the tiniest piece of information which could have escaped them earlier. They were so absorbed in the task that the beep coming from the laptop on the table surprised them and JJ almost dropped her mug of coffee on the floor.

- "Oh my god Penelope! Heart attack, much?"

- "Sorry kitten, I take it you weren't expecting a call from my office of supreme genius." Garcia wasn't looking apologetic at all. "As you requested boss man, I searched into national databases but didn't find anything in any of the 50 states. So I took the liberty to look at alive victims, in case our sicko failed at his attempt and once again, nothing. Either he is just starting or the victims haven't been found yet. I'm sorry."

- "It's not your fault. Thank you Garcia."

- "You're welcome, my raven-haired princess. Keep me posted."

- "Will do."

For long seconds, no one spoke. JJ broke the silence.

- "Do we really think Michael and Gerard are his first victims?"

- "Honestly? I doubt it. The Mos are different, yes, which usually indicates a killer trying to find his style but it doesn't fit with the general impression given by the crime scenes."

- "I agree with Rossi." Reid said "Michael Werner was was finishing his PhD in political sciences, was a basketball player and lived on campus. He was young, healthy, in shape and was killed in his dorm room. Yet, no one saw or heard anything, and the room was spotless. The unsub must have known there was a party in the dorm that night, that Michael wouldn't assist it and that there would be enough noise and movements for him to go unnoticed. The body was found the next day by his professor who was worried about him because he didn't show up at his class. After knocking without receiving an answer, he tried the doorknob and the door unlocked. Our second victim, the car mechanic, was also a strong, healthy man. And yet, the unsub succeeded in drowning him several times, before staging the body on the hood of a car so he would be the first thing his colleagues would see when coming to work in the morning. He choses high-risks victims, in places where he could be easily discovered or interrupted at any time. Still, all you can see when you look at the scenes is how controlled and organised the unsub was. There are definitely more victims before these 2."

- "So how come Garcia haven't found them?" a slightly doubtful Morgan asked. "Could it be because he never marked them?"

- "A man like him... No, he would have used the swastika as a signature since his very first crime." Reid's statement was assured.

- "Where are they then? What are we missing?" Morgan was frustrated, and so were the other profilers. They hated feeling helpless.

The pilot's voice cracked in the speakers "Agents, we're landing in Pittsburgh in 5 minutes. Please regain your seats and fasten your seatbelts."

* * *

_= Pittsburgh Airport, tarmac, 16.00 GMT-5 =_

- "I'm detective Ryan Jones. Thank you for coming. You must be Agent Hotchner?"

- "I am. These are SSA Rossi, Jareau, Prentiss, Morgan, and Dr Reid. Thank you for calling us."

- "Another body was found 10 minutes ago. Do you wanna stop at your hotel before going to the precinct?"

- "The hotel can wait. Can you drive us to the crime scene right away?"

- "Sure thing, Agent Hotchner. 3 of you can come in the SUV with me, the other 3 will have to ride with lieutenant Alex Rojas."

Hotch, Reid and Rossi hopped in with the detective; JJ, Prentiss and Morgan rode with the lieutenant. All 6 agents were steeling themselves for the crime scene they were on their way to discover.


	3. Chapter 3

_= Pittsburgh PA, crime scene, 16.30 GMT-5 =_

- "Red's Diner? I used to hang out here all the time!"

- "You're from Pittsburgh, agent Jareau?" Det. Jones asked.

- "East Allegheny, but I studied at Pitt University. Two of my friends had part-time jobs here. It doesn't look like it has changed one bit."

- "It hasn't, JJ."

- "Jeff?" JJ looked utterly incredulous.

- "In the flesh" he grinned.

- "What... Why are you here? Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad to see you!"

Jeff stood at attention.

- "Detective Jeffrey Beauchamps, Pittsburgh PD. At your service."

JJ looked at her old friend gob smacked.

- "Really?"

- "Yes, really." He smiled sadly at her. "I'm the lead investigator on this case. I had to testify at a trial, hence my inability to come to the airport earlier."

- "Good Lord, I'm sorry, I was so surprised to see you that I forgot to do the introductions. Jeff, or should I say detective" JJ flashed him a grin "this is SSA Hotchner, unit chief, and these are SSA Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, and Dr. Reid."

The BAU members shook the detective's hand before Hotch spoke.

- "What do we have, detective?"

- "Female victim. She was found 40 minutes ago by an employee who identified her as Juliette Maier, 20, 2nd year law student at Pitt. She worked at the diner a few hours a week. We're trying to contact her family and I sent a patrol to her dorm."

The FBI agents nodded, taking in the informations Jeff had given them.

- "If your M.E. is already there, can you take us to the body?"

- "Of course, agent Hotchner."

Before any of the BAU members could react, the detective bolted away and grabbed a man by his jacket.

- "What the hell are you doing here? It's a crime scene! Do you think the yellow tape is here to make the street look prettier? Get out of my sight before I book you for the night!"

The detective trotted back the the waiting agents.

- "Sorry 'bout that. Journalists. They're vultures of the worst kind."

Hotch turned to JJ, asking her a silent question with his eyes. She nodded imperceptibly.

- "JJ will talk to them as soon as we're done."

- "Thank you agent Hotchner." Jeff sounded and looked relieved. He started to walk into the diner, the agents on his heels "The victim was stuffed into a cardboard box in the storage room."

- "She was hidden, not on display like the first 2 victims?"

- "See for yourself, agent Prentiss."

- "Dr. John Warner. We were waiting for your arrival to proceed. If we may?"

- "Please doctor." came Hotch's answer.

The M.E. waved at his intern and the 2 men extracted the body of Juliette Maier from the box.

- "Female. Approximatively 1.60m high, 55-60kgs. Physically fit. Rigor mortis has settled, she's been dead more than 6 to 8h. Swastika carved on her forehead with a sharp object, probably a knife or a scalpel."

- "Fits the timeframe" Det. Beauchamps said "she had the night shift. Finished at 5am. COD, doc?"

- "Bruises around her neck. Petechiae in the eyes. Strangulation."

- "Manual or the unsub used something else?" Reid asked.

- "From the looks of it, I'd say he used a belt. I'll know more after the autopsy."

The M.E. continued his first observations, writing down on a form every few seconds and indicating to his intern the pics to take. The profilers were silently analysing the crime scene when the M.E. addressed them again.

- "She was sexually assaulted."

- "Can't this case get any worse?" JJ sighed.

Morgan spoke next "Are you sure doctor?"

- "Bruising and abrasions on her thighs and hips, scratches above her pubic line."

The next question was from Rossi "Did it happen ante- or post-mortem?"

- "I can see some blood and judging by the look of the bruises, I'm tempted to go with ante-mortem. I'll let you know when I get the tests results." He signed to the technicians to bag the body and transport it to the morgue for the autopsy. "Agents? This case is my top priority. You should get my preliminary report in a few hours."

Emily smiled gratefully at him, then turned to face her team.

- "He went from killing 2 men and staging their bodies to rape and murder a woman and hide her body in a box. Again, different MOs, different victimology. This unsub is all over the place. The only consistency is the swastika. Where does he get off?"

The agents remained silent. For the first time in a long time, they had no answers. The ringing of a phone broke their thoughts.

- _'Beauchamps... What?... We're on our way.' _The detective looked at the agents. "You're not gonna like it. We've got another vic."

Jeff was right, they didn't like it one bit.

- "3 vics in 8 days fits the pattern. 2 vics in 1 day doesn't." Morgan was almost stuttering. "Where?"

- "4 blocks from here. Male, 58 years old. Robert Becker."

- "COD?"

- "Multiple stab wounds. According to the unis, it's not a pretty sight, agent Hotchner."

The agents readied themselves. "Let's go."

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, 2nd crime scene, 17.30 GMT-5 =_

- "Doc."

- "It's gonna be a long night, Jeff." The M.E. said tiredly. "Agents" he nodded to the agents he had left at an other crime scene only a few minutes ago.

- "What can you tell us, Dr. Warner?" As usual, Hotch was leading.

- "The victim died from exsanguination caused by a number of stab wounds. To be completely honest with you, it's a bloodbath. I put the estimate TOD at around 3 hours ago. The blood is starting to congeal and the white cells separated from the red ones, forming a crust around the blood pools. He also is naked and has abrasions around the mouth and on his wrists and ankles. I'd say he was gagged and tied down. I'm sending the body to the morgue now."

- "Thanks doc."

- "Only doing my job, Jeff" was Warner's answer, followed by a wink. He was making his way to the door when he stopped. "Detective, agents? One little odd thing before I leave. The body was found in the walk-in shower. All indicates he hasn't been moved in it afterwards but was killed there."

- "That's interesting."

- "How so, agent Rossi?"

- "The crime scenes he left us so far were clean. We can't be sure about Juliette Maier, it's too soon, but I'd bet it's spotless too. Then, crime scene #4, and he leaves us an awful lot of blood. Was he interrupted before he had time to clean up?"

- "Not that we think. Look around, nothing is out of place. We haven't found the knife or bindings either. Stabbing someone is awfully messy, a man covered in blood in the middle of the day would have been noticed."

JJ stopped the detective's observations.

- "He knows we're here. He is taunting us. He took the time to straighten out the flat and himself. Turning on the shower would have taken him 5 extra seconds and yet he didn't. It's a message _'Catch me if you can'._"

Emily followed her girlfriend's line of reasoning.

- "We've been called 4 hours ago. He either took a chance on us being asked for help after victim #2 or #3 or..."

- "He knew" Morgan finished.

- "Do you think he is a cop?" Det. Jeff Beauchamps sounded disbelieving.

- "Not necessarily" Reid answered him. "Of course, it would explain how he knows the procedures and scientific counter-measures to follow... But you can find all you need to know on the internet or on TV. There are so many crime shows, it's fascinating to watch what the writers can come up with. Take _CSI _or_ Criminal Minds _for example. The series show 2 sides of"

- "Reid!" Hotch interrupted the genius' ramblings.

- "Sorry Hotch. What I mean is that all he needs is an internet access, he doesn't need to be inside law enforcement. But he knows we've been called to assist, so he does have ties to it. Could be through a friend, a family member... Whatever the connection is, he knows how we work and think. Our unsub is highly intelligent, doesn't stand out physically, he is probably in his thirties. The murders were all committed at different times. He either doesn't have a job or can make his own schedule."

- "That's a start... How do you explain the branding?" Jeff rose his eyes from his notepad and looked at the BAU team.

- "We don't know yet. Who found the last victim?"

- "The housekeeper, Magdalena Delgado, 46. She is from Mexico, Oaxaca, to be precise. Before you ask, she is a legal immigrant, she's got a green card for the last 18 months. No family on either side of the border. Oh, and she doesn't speak english."

- "It's not a problem. Prentiss?"

- "Of course Hotch. Detective, can you show me where Mrs Delgado is?"

Prentiss and Jeff left the bathroom and walked to the living room. A beautiful woman wearing dark blue work trousers and a flowery blouse was sitting on the sofa, looking distressed.

- _"Señora Delgado? Hola, mi nombre es agente Emily Prentiss, con el FBI. Tengo unas cuantas preguntas, vale?"_

_- "Si, si, agente, claro."_

Prentiss handed her a tissue.

- _"Gracias."_

- "You found Mr Becker in the bathroom. Do you always come on Tuesdays?"

- "Yes, Roberto goes to the gym between 16.00 and 18.00. He comes home around 18.15 and we talk while I cook dinner. I go home some time in the evening, unless I sleep on the sofa."

Emily's eyebrows shot up at the last statement and she made a mental note to ask her what she meant.

- "What do you talk about?"

- "Our day, art, literature, cinema, his problems at work. He is... was, a lawyer in a big firm. He worked only part-time and most of his cases were pro-bono or to help people who couldn't get a good lawyer because of their poverty or because the cases weren't considered interesting enough by others."

- "How was he paying for all his expenses? Part-time pro-bono cases don't really pay bills."

- "The law firm covered all his work-related expenses. From dry-cleaning to law books and taxi fares."

- "What about the personal ones?"

- "Roberto had money. He worked a lot before. He owns this flat too."

- "You said earlier that you sometimes slept on the sofa... That's not really common occurrence between a boss and his housekeeper."

Magdalena smiled for the first time since the conversation started.

- "I guess you can say we had a slightly uncanny relationship, if you look at it from the outside. We both had no family left and were interested in the same things. I wasn't always a housekeeper you know, I was working for the social services in Mexico before I... anyway, I have some legal knowledge and I always loved drawing and painting in my free-time. Roberto helped moving to the US and getting my green card, he found me a small flat, gave me a job... I don't know what I would have done without him. He was a good man and a great friend."

- "I am sorry for asking, were you in a relationship?"

Magdalena Delgado laughed before answering.

- "Roberto and me? No, that would never have happened."

Emily looked a bit taken aback, so Magdalena Delgado developed what she meant.

- "Roberto was my boss, my closest friend, and I loved him... like a sibling, not like a lover or potential love interest. We did often joke that he was my longest relationship though."

A smile was gracing the Mexican's lips and Emily looked utterly lost. Seeing the agent's face, the housekeeper couldn't stop a small laugh.

- "I am confusing you, am I not? Roberto and I are both homosexuals. Our relationship was strictly platonic, agent Prentiss."

The profile blushed profusely. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

- "It's fine, no offence taken." Magdalena reassured her warmly.

- "Do you have any idea of who would have wanted to do this to him?"

- "None! And the mark on his head, the swastika? Roberto wasn't a neo-nazi or interested in all this _'white supremacy bullshit'_."

Magdalena said the last words in heavily accentuated english, a look of utter disgust etched on her face.

- "How did you met Robert?"

- "Almost 2 years ago I was working on a custody battle between a mexican mother and an american father, Roberto was the father's lawyer. I ruled in favour of the father, he had a steady job in the US, a flat in a nice neighbourhood, while the mother was living with a cartel lieutenant. It was a no-brainer really, but the cartel didn't like the decision I took. They outed me, I lost my job and they threatened to kill me. Roberto pulled some strings to flow me here. We had already stricken a friendship, he was feeling very guilty for what happened to me because of our case. I had nothing holding me back and he was lonely since his partner's death. I said yes and am in Pittsburgh since. He pays... paid me well, I have time to travel, paint, and I volunteer a few hours a week at a LGBT association here in town. Being Latino and not straight isn't easy, I can talk to them in their mother tongue and I know the culture."

Emily nodded knowingly. "You said his partner died?"

- "2 years ago. AIDS complications. Roberto and Fitzgerald had been together for 18 years."

Emily couldn't think about more questions to ask, so she thanked Magdalena and gave her her card, in case she remembered something. She went looking for the rest of her team, who was waiting for her to finish her interview in the kitchen.

- "She doesn't know who could have killed Becker. He was the good kind of lawyer, helping those who couldn't have gotten legal council otherwise, taking pro-bono cases... He offered her to come here after she received death threats in Oaxaca, helped her getting established."

- "Any indications they were in a relationship?"

Emily chuckled "I asked her the very same question and she laughed. She's a lesbian and the vic was a gay man who lost his partner of 18 years to AIDS 2 years ago. So to answer your question Derek: not a snowball's chance in hell. They were close friends, nothing more."

- "Being gay, helping immigrants and less than privileged citizens doesn't strike me as neo-nazi pass-times." Rossi deadpanned. "We still don't know why he marks them or why or how he choses his victims."

- "I want us to go to the precinct, get settled and summarize all the informations we gathered these last hours."

- "Can we first stop for coffee somewhere, Hotch?" JJ asked and the group couldn't repress a laugh at her puppy face.

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, 18.45 GMT-5 =_

- "You can use the conference room. Do you need anything specific?" Beauchamps asked Hotch.

- "A few white boards would be great."

- "And maps" Reid added "I would like to try to establish a geographical profile. Maybe it will help finding what the victims had in common."

The next minutes were spent hanging up pictures, documents, and writing informations on the boards in a well-practised dance. Once this was done, Hotch asked the officers and detectives to join them before giving the floor to his agents.

- "Morgan?"

- "Michael Werner was single, his family is from a small town in Pennsylvania. Gerard Nowak divorced 6 years ago, no current girlfriend. His ex-wife remarried 3 years ago and lives now in Philadelphia. She hadn't seen Gerard in 5 months and hadn't talk to him in 2 weeks."

- "A divorced couple which keeps in touch?"

- "It happens, Rossi" JJ shot at him, and Rossi gave her a dirty look. Morgan and Prentiss were trying their damnest to not burst out laughing. Hotch cleared his throat and JJ took up where Morgan had left.

- "Juliette Maier and Robert Becker are both from Pittsburgh. Juliette was single child, her parents are visiting family on the West Coast, they fly back in town tomorrow. We don't know about a boy- or girlfriend yet."

- "Robert Becker" Emily said "was a widower. No remaining family. All 4 victims were killed differently, the bodies left either at their homes or workplaces. All but Juliette had been left where they'd been killed. We haven't found the primary crime scene in her case. She also is the only female and the only one who's been raped."

Reid closed the summary "The first 2 victims were killed in different parts of the city, but the last 2 scenes were in close proximity. The geographical profile hasn't given me anything yet. None of the victims seemed to have cross paths. They have no ties to supremacists, white power or any groups or organisations."

Rossi gave the profile they had "We're looking for a male in his thirties. He is organised, controlled, very intelligent. He likes to inflict pain and isn't afraid of blood. He probably works as a freelancer or has a flexible schedule."

- "What about, you know, the foreheads?" and officer asked.

- "The victims don't lead us anywhere so he may be the one who has ties to the far-right movement. At this point we don't know what to do of the swastika" Emily answered honestly.

Silence fell upon the room, broken a minute later by Hotch's voice.

- "We're waiting for the autopsies' reports, we will get them in the morning. We can't do more tonight so I suggest you go home. We'll meet again at 7.00 tomorrow morning."

The officers and detectives present in the room muttered or nodded their agreement before exiting. Only Jeff and lieutenant Rojas hung back.

- "Alex and I will drive you to your hotel, if it's ok with you, unless you wanna go eat somewhere first."

Hotch looked at his team and read the mood before answering.

- "Thanks for the offer but I think we'll stick to room-service tonight."

Jeff understood, he himself wasn't feeling very social after the day they had.

- "Al right, let's get the SUVs."

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, hotel lobby, 20.00 GMT-5 =_

After JJ and Jeff had checked in, he apologised "There's a convention in town, we could book only 4 rooms."

JJ threw the keys around.

- "Mum and Dad gets the singles, Derek and Spence you share the one with the bunk beds, Em and I get the double."

The blonde agent was grinning from ear to ear because she got to share a bed with her girlfriend but mostly because Rossi and Hotch's facial expressions were priceless.

- "Do I look like your mother, agent Jareau?"

- "You shouldn't complain too much Dave, she could have called you grandpa" Hotch quipped, cracking one of his rare smiles.

The detective and lieutenant handed their car keys to Hotch. "Keep the SUVs, I'm sure you guys want your independence."

- "How are you going back the precinct?"

- "Don't worry about it agent Hotchner" lieutenant Rojas answered "my wife is a doctor at a clinic 2 blocks away, her shift is over in 30 minutes. We'll hitch a ride."

They shook hands with the team and departed. The agents walked into the lift to go to their respective floors. Hotch and Rossi were the first ones to exit. Before the doors closed, their boss issued a last order, earning himself a groan from JJ.

- "Breakfast at 06.15 in the hotel's restaurant."

- "Meaning we have to wake up at 05.30. Whoever said being a FBI agent was glamourous couldn't be more wrong."

- "7 years in the BAU and your girlfriend still isn't a morning person" Morgan said to Prentiss.

- "Derek Morgan, if you don't wipe the smirk off your face in the next second, I will tell Penelope to publish on the internet a sample of the blackmail material she has on you." JJ was practically growling.

The car dinged right at this moment.

- "And this our cue." Morgan was very nearly dragging Reid outside. The genius barely had the time to mouth _'sorry'_ before the 2 men disappeared out of sight.

- "You know Jen, seeing how easily you can scare Morgan is always highly entertaining."

- "I know, it works every time."

The women couldn't contain their laughter any longer. Emily was still giggling when they entered their room. JJ loved seeing this childish side of her girlfriend.

- "Come on Em, shower, dinner, and sleep. I'm beat!"


	4. Chapter 4

**According to the FF words count, this chapter is almost 5 000 words long. I know, I can't quite believe it myself! **

**Reviews make me happy and feed my muse! Do my a favour and don't forget to hit the blue button at the bottom of the page :)  
**

**Virtual cookie to calzonaobessed**

**EDIT:** I fixed a few glitches. Let me know if I missed some

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, JJ & Emily's room, 05.45 GMT-5 =_

JJ groaned and buried her head in her pillow. "Emily Prentiss, you better turn off this damn alarm clock or I swear to God I **will** pull out my gun!"

Emily was laughing silently at her girlfriend's reaction.

- "And if you don't stop laughing, I will shoot you too and make you sleep on the floor tonight!"

Sobering right away at the threat, Emily dropped a kiss on JJ's head and let her right hand roam on the blonde's naked back.

- "I'm sorry, I know you wish you could sleep longer."

- "Evil never sleeps... And we both love our jobs way too much." JJ muttered into Emily's left shoulder.

- "That we do, baby, that we do." was Emily's whispered answer.

- "Do you think we'll ever be able to retire?" JJ mumbled into Emily's neck before kissing it and tightening her grip on the other woman's waist.

- "We eventually will have to. I am fairly certain that having agents in need of walkers chasing serial-killers is against regulations." Emily was smirking at the image forming in her head.

- "Strauss would have a fit. I'd pay good money to see it." JJ had raised her head and was looking at the older woman with eyes sparkling with mischief.

- "You, agent Jareau, are evil." Emily couldn't help but chuckle. "Come on grumpy, race ya to the shower!"

Emily didn't have to repeat her request twice.

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, conference room, 07.00 GMT-5 =_

6 FBI agents piled out of the 2 SUVs, coffees in hands and ready to face another long day. Det. Beauchamps welcomed them with a curt nod and a quiet '_Morning'._ He stepped out of the room for a few seconds before coming back in carrying a pile of files.

- "We received the autopsies reports 5 minutes ago. I was just done making copies for ya all."

Jeff passed the files around and the agents started to scan them even before they had finished to sit down. For several minutes, the room was quiet, all were busy absorbing the new informations they had been provided with. Being the resident genius and fastest reader, Reid spoke first.

- "The tox screens came back clean, he isn't drugging them. He is non-threatening, or the victims know him."

- "CSU didn't find any sign of breaking and entering in Becker's flat." Jeff precised.

Hotch looked at Prentiss "Did Magdalena Delgado said something about Robert Becker having a meeting yesterday afternoon?"

- "No, but I can ask her." She reached for the phone on her belt at the same time as she was perusing through her notepad for Magdalena's number. She easily switched to spanish when the woman answered her call.

- "_Señora Delgado? Buenos dias. Esta Agente Prentiss_. Can I ask you a question about Mr Becker's schedule?"

- "Yes of course, ask away and I'll try to answer."

- "Thank you. Do you know if Mr Becker was receiving someone yesterday afternoon around 2?"

The line went dead and Prentiss could tell Magdalena was thinking.

- "It's not a client, he never received them at home, even in case of emergency. Roberto doesn't have many close friends, and they all are on a cruise in the Caribbean right now. Roberto was supposed to go with them but one of his trials was moved and he had to stay in Pittsburgh. I'm sorry agent Prentiss but I really don't know who it could be."

The guilt, disappointment and pain were obvious in the Mexican's voice, Emily knew nothing she could say would make the woman feel better. Instead, she simply thanked her softly and hung up before focusing her attention back to the detective and her team.

- "She has no idea. She did say that Becker wasn't supposed to be in Pittsburgh though." This new piece of information peaked everybody's interest. "He had to cancel his participation to a cruise with his friends because of a trial. Do we have his phone records? If he isn't the one who contacted the unsub to let him know about his change of plans"

- "The unsub stalked him." JJ finished for her girlfriend. "How do you explain how he gained access to the inside of the flat if he is a stalker?"

- "He could have copied the key." Reid chimed in.

Morgan was ruffling through crime scene pictures until he found what he was looking for.

- "The door is high security, there's no way he could have copied it. Do we know if the super loaned the key to someone?"

- "I'm contacting him" Jeff exited the room to go to his desk.

- "Morgan, call Garcia, we need phone records."

Morgan nodded to Rossi and took his phone.

- "You're talking to the all-knowing oracle of Quantico. Speak and be heard!"

- "Hello hot mama, can you pull out Robert Becker's phone records and see if he received or made a call which stands out in the past days?"

- "Piece of cake, my hunk of burning love. Anything else?"

- "Can you see if an order for an extra key to his front door has been placed?"

- "Your wish has been granted, boss man. I'll share my findings with you as soon as anything pops on the screens of my babies. The oracle has spoken!"

The call ended and Jeff, who had been back long enough to catch the tail end of the conversation looked befuddled.

- "Is she always like this?"

Rossi let a smile break free "That was quite behaved for her."

Jeff's face clearly reflected a _'you've gotta be kiddin' me' _expression.

- "It's always surprising at first but you get used to it. The BAU without Garcia's antics wouldn't be the same" Reid piped in.

Hotch tried to put the conversation back on tracks.

- "What did the super say?"

- "No one asked for the key. As far as he knows, there are only 3 exemplars: Becker has 1, the housekeeper has the 2nd and he has the 3rd one."

Someone knocked at the door and a uni poked his head into the room.

- "The parents of Juliette Maier are here. Where do I put them?"

- "Use the captain's office."

- "Yes, Det. Beauchamps."

- "Interrogating grieving parents never gets easier..." Jeff sighed.

- "JJ can do it, if you'd like." Hotch offered.

- "Are you sure?" the detective asked, looking at his old friend. She simply gave him a smile and a nod before going out in search of the parents.

- "Speaking of the 3rd victim, CSU combed her room and nothing indicates she'd been murdered here. That said, knowing how careful our guy is, it doesn't mean he didn't simply clean after himself. My guts tell me he killed her there and then transported her body to the diner."

- "I tend to agree with Det. Beauchamps, the dorm would have given him the privacy he needed, and no one really looks twice at people going in and out of the building. Strangulation is a clean and silent way to kill someone. All he had to do was change the bedding and take the soiled sheets with him. It'd kill 2 birds with 1 stone: no fluids from the rape and no evidence of murder either."

- "We need to find them, Dave. What do you think he did with the sheets?"

- "If it was me, I'd have burned them, Aaron. And you know it's exactly what he did."

Hotch furrowed his brow in a mixture of annoyance and helplessness. "Morgan, Prentiss, I want you to go look at the first 2 crime scenes. Dave and I take Juliette Maier's room. Reid, you stay here in case Garcia finds something."

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, captain's office, 07.30 GMT-5 =_

- "Mr and Mrs Maier? I'm FBI Agent Jennifer Jareau."

- "FBI?"

- "Yes Ma'am, we're helping the Pittsburgh PD with solving your daughter's murder. I am very sorry for your loss. We are doing all we can to find the person who is responsible." Pausing for a second, she let her words sink in. "I would like to ask you a few questions, if it's ok with you."

The parents remained silent but the mother nodded.

- "When was the last time you spoke to your daughter?"

- "2 days ago. She called her mother and I before starting her night shift."

- "How did she sounded? Happy? Worried?"

- "She... She was tired." The mother answered. "When she wasn't studying, she was working. She didn't have much time left to have a social life."

- "Did she talk about a boyfriend or a girlfriend?"

Both parents fell silent.

- "Juliette mentioned a boy a few times. What was his name? He is a 1st year law student, they met at the library one night." The father was pinching the bridge of his nose in concentration. "Levi! His name was Levi!"

- "She didn't give you a last name?"

- "No, I'm certain she only called him by his first name."

JJ could see the parents couldn't deal with much more. "I have one last question. Did Juliette had anything to do with white supremacists or neo-nazis? Maybe as researches for her studies?"

JJ could read shock, anger, and something else in the parents' eyes. Was it fear?

- "No!" The mother all but shouted. "Juliette never would have wanted to have anything to do with these monsters! Now if you excuse us, I want to see my daughter!"

They stormed out of the office and JJ let her head fell into her hands. It was barely 8 in the morning and she already couldn't wait for this day to end. A gentle knock against the door frame shook her up from her dark thoughts.

- "Tough interview?" Jeff asked, handing her a mug of coffee.

She nodded and gratefully reached for the warm beverage. She inhaled it before taking a sip.

- "Lemme guess. You're the one in charge of the coffee in this fine establishment." The blonde stated.

- "Busted. I may be a boy in blue but there's no way I can live on the awful juice cops wrongfully call coffee."

- "Your years spent working at Red's diner left some traces I see. Have you learn to cook since?" JJ asked him with a glint in her eyes.

- "Nah, I stick to waitressing. Less risky." He winked at her and JJ laughed.

- "Thank you Jeff, I really needed this."

- "No problem. Did you learn something?"

- "In fact I did. They said Juliette talked a few times about a student named Levi. I'm gonna call Garcia and see what she can dig out."

The detective and FBI agent made their way to the conference room. Seeing only Reid, JJ asked "Where's everyone, Spence?"

- "Oh, they went looking at the crime scenes. Did the parents talk to you?"

- "Yeah, but I need Garcia's help to fill in some holes." she said to him, waving her phone. "Hi Pen."

- "Kitten, how can my awesome self be of service?"

- "Could you find a student at Pitt? 1st year law, his name is Levi. Sorry, no last name."

- "It will suffice, I am a miracle worker. Give me a second, young grasshopper. By the way, is boy genius with you?"

- "Hold on, I'm putting you on speaker. Ok, hit us with it."

- "I checked Robert Becker's phone records. He received a call from a burner phone last week. He called back the number Friday, and someone made a call from the same phone at 13.00 yesterday. It could be our creep. I'm trying to find which towers relayed the calls. Oh and I could find 3 keys only, none ordered recently though."

- "3, are you sure?"

- "Boy genius, do you remember who you're talking to?"

- "Sorry Garcia" a sheepish Reid mumbled.

- "Apologies accepted, my delightful geek. Oh look at this, we have a name for the hottest half of my favourite lesbian couple. Levi Abrahamovitz, 19, Pittsburgh born and raised. All the informations are sailing through cyberspace to your tablet as we speak."

- "Penelope Garcia, you do know I love you, don't you?"

- "Of course I do know it, sweetness, but let's keep this between us. I don't want Butch McSexy, aka Miss I-am-former-CIA-and-Interpol, all over my business."

- "Pen, you are insane" JJ said between laughs.

- "Whatever you say, my gorgeous pennsylvanian girl. I'm outta here!"

Det. Beauchamps was laughing so hard from the exchange he witnessed he could barely breathe and tears were rolling down his cheeks.

- "Oh my God" he panted "I have to meet this Penelope Garcia. She is hilarious."

JJ rolled her eyes in mock annoyance but her grin gave her away. She was glad to see her friend so relaxed.

- "JJ?" Reid effectively stopped the blonde's musing "who is Levi Abrahamovitz?"

- "Ah, erm, it's a boy Juliette Maier talked about a few times."

- "Boyfriend?"

- "Her parents didn't know. Eh, Jeff? Do you think we could go talk to the kid?"

- "Whenever you're ready."

- "Spence, are you coming with us?"

- "I'd rather stay here, if you don't mind. I'll let the team know what you've found."

- "Sure. Shall we, detective?"

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, 2nd crime scene, 08.00 GMT-5 =_

- "Do you feel it?"

- "Uh, what are you talking about Prentiss?"

- "The feeling that we won't learn anything? The scene was cleared days ago, the garage is open and running and the colleagues couldn't say anything more than _'we found him and called 911'. _Being here is a colossal waste of time. There are so many access points, the unsub could have come from anywhere and gone in any directions he pleased. There's not even a single traffic cam or ATM in the vicinity."

- "Wow, you are a real ray of sunshine today, princess."

- "Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Derek Morgan. Besides, you know I'm right!"

- "Yeah, you are... campus?"

- "You're the one who's got the car keys, partner."

Morgan rolled his eyes and slid into the driver's seat. "We'll maybe even catch Hotch and Rossi there if we're lucky."

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, campus, Juliette Maier's room, 08.15 GMT-5 =_

- "CSU wasn't lying when they said the room was clean. It's so clean it could as well be considered sterile environment, there's not a grain of dust. Hell, this room may be cleaner than some ORs. Our unsub is so meticulous it borders on OCD."

A knock at the door interrupted Rossi's rant.

- "Excuse me, can I help you?"

- "I'm SSA Hotchner and this is SSA Rossi, we're from the FBI. Did you know Juliette, …?"

- "Alicia. Alicia Martinez. No, not really. Juliette was discreet, she didn't have a lot of friends."

- "Was she shy?" Hotch asked.

- "No, only busy. I know she was waitressing somewhere and when she was on campus, she was either in class, at the library or studying in her room. She was a top-grade student. She tutored me a few times."

- "Was her room always this perfect?"

Alicia looked around before answering Rossi's question.

- "It was always clean and organised, but never this spotless. She liked having a little mess, it made her feel human. Her words, not mine. You're gonna catch the sick bastard who did this to her, right?"

- "We're doing our best. Alicia, do you know if Juliette had a boyfriend or a girlfriend?"

- "Yeah, boyfriend. They got together 2 weeks ago. Levi. He is a law student too. Kind of a nerd but he is a sweet guy, he would never hurt a fly, there's no way he is the one who would have done this to her. They loved each other, everyone with eyes could see it."

- "We're not suspecting anyone" Hotch said reassuringly. "Do you know where we can find him?"

- "He lives outside the campus, it's all I know. Sorry."

Hotch thanked her for her help before turning to Rossi.

- "What are you thinking about Dave?"

- "I'm thinking I would love to be at home in my favourite chair, with a pre-embargo Cuban cigar and a bottle of excellent single malt whisky. If you meant about the case, we have to talk to this Levi kid."

Hotch was reaching for his phone when Prentiss and Morgan materialised in front of the door.

- "What are you 2 doing here?"

- "The garage was an epic fail, Hotch. Michael Werner's room was reattributed last week. We haven't learn a damn thing."

- "Thank you Morgan. You good Prentiss?"

- "I'm fine Hotch. Frustrated that's all."

Hotch could very well understand Prentiss' state of mind. They all were on edge.

- "Rossi and I learned that Juliette had a boyfriend, Levi. I was going to call Garcia when you showed up."

Hotch hit the 'call' button and Garcia answered almost immediately.

- "FBI office of all things known or yet to be discovered."

Morgan fought to refrain a laugh at Hotch's face.

- "Can't you for once pick up the phone like a normal person, Garcia?"

- "Normality is boring, boss man. Is this a social call or do you need help from my supreme genius and my beloved computary wonders?"

This time, even Hotch was smiling.

- "Can you run a name for me? Levi."

- "You mean Levi Abrahamovitz? JJ and Det. Beauchamps already went to see him."

Hotch was at a loss for words for a handful of seconds. He found his voice long enough to thank Garcia and the 4 agents headed back to the precinct.

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, Levi Abrahamovitz's house, 08.30 GMT-5 =_

- "Nice house" Jeff whistled. JJ couldn't help but agree with him. A newly renovated brownstone like this one costed a small fortune.

- "Do you wanna lead the interrogation JJ?"

- "It's your case, the FBI is only here to consult and as extra resource."

- "You've always been smooth, Jareau." Jeff grinned and she replied with a wink of her own.

Det. Beauchamps had barely rang the doorbell that the door was already open.

- "Good morning. Welcome to the Abrahamovitz's residence. How can I help you?"

The 2 visitors flashed their badges "I'm Detective Jeffrey Beauchamps from the Pittsburgh PD and this SSA Jennifer Jareau, FBI. Could we talk to Levi Abrahamovitz, please?"

- "That's impossible, he is in Europe with Mr. & Mrs. Abrahamovitz. Can I ask what is it about?"

- "We wanted to talk to him about Juliette Maier."

- "Miss Juliette? Has something happen to her?"

- "Do you know her?" Neither Jeff nor JJ could completely hide their surprise.

- "She is Mr. Levi's girlfriend. Can you tell me what is going on?" The worry in the maid's voice was unmistakable.

- "I'm sorry to be the one announcing this to you, Juliette Maier was killed yesterday."

The detective and agent could thank their quick reflexes when it came to catch the poor woman when she fainted after hearing the news. She woke up laying on the sofa, with 2 concerned law enforcement personnel looking at her.

- "Welcome back" JJ said softly. "Do you want me to get you some water?"

- "Please." The maid was still reeling from the news. Jeff helped her sitting up.

- "Are you ok?"

- "I'll be fine. The shock... Miss Juliette was such a nice girl."

- "Here you go."

- "Thank you agent Jareau." She took the glass of water handed to her and gratefully downed half of it.

- "Mr. Levi and Miss Juliette are a couple for the past 2 weeks, they've know each other for some months. They met at the library, if I recall. They share the same interest for the law, they love the same music... They often go to concerts or operas. I've never seen Mr. Levi so happy before."

- "When was the last time you saw her?"

- "Friday night. She had dinner with the family before they left for Europe saturday morning. She was going to introduce Mr. Levi to her parents after his return. Such a tragedy."

Jeff and JJ exchanged a look. The maid was in shock, they won't learn anything more from her.

- "Do you have any way to contact the Abrahamovitz?"

- "No, they are the ones contacting me. They will call tomorrow night."

Jeff extracted a card from his wallet "When they do, can you tell them to get in touch with me?"

She took the card into trembling hands. "We'll let ourselves out." JJ told her.

* * *

_= Cleveland OH, 18.30 GMT-5 =_

- "David? What are you doing here? Oh my God, we had a class, hadn't we? I am sorry, I completely forgot. My son and granddaughter surprised me with an impromptu visit."

- "It's fine Laura, I understand." I said with my most charming smile. _'Son and granddaughter uh? Unexpected but not necessarily disagreeable.' _"I won't bother you any longer. Do you mind if I use the bathroom before I leave though? I got stuck in a traffic jam on my out of work and didn't have time to stop by at home."

- "Of course, go ahead, you know where it is. I'll pack a slice of cake my son brought with him."

- "Thanks Laura, you're spoiling me."

- "It's the least I can do after setting you up like I did."

_'Don't you worry, you'll do plenty'_

- "Well look at this, you're back! If it isn't the wonderful Laura and her son! Sorry mate, we haven't been introduced. My name's David and I'm gonna kill you and you dearly beloved mother in a little while. If you're wondering, the rugrat is sleeping in his crib. I briefly considered killing him too but I am not as heartless as your late Walter was. By the way, you were right, the cake was delicious."

I take one last long drag from my cigarette and throw it away in the glass on the table. I take hold of my little pocket knife. "Let's proceed, shall we?"

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, conference room, 19.30 GMT-5 =_

- "Agents, detective. Am I interrupting?"

- "Not at all Dr Warner, please come on in."

- "Thank you agent Hotchner. I made impressions of Robert Becker's stab wounds, I thought that maybe it would help narrowing what type of knife was used. And here's the catch, I can't find a correspondence. Here, have a look."

The impressions were passed around, the M.E. was still talking. "The blade is approximately 12cm long, double-edged and curved at the end. I also found particles of leather in the wounds."

- "Leather? Could it come from the unsub's gloves?"

- "I don't think so. The leather used is too rough, the fibres correspond more with the type of leather used to make belts. Or bags."

- "Dr Warner, were there bruises around the perforations?"

- "How do you know agent Prentiss? Yes, yes, there is a presence of bruises. They don't look like a hilt, they're too large. If I didn't know better, I would say they are almost perfect matches to..."

- "The side of closed fists."

All heads turned as one to look at her "Emily?" Hotch asked.

- "This is first and foremost an agricultural knife, but it gained the name of _'Srbosjek' _or _'Serb-__cutter' _during World War 2 when the Croatian Ustashe used it to kill Serbs, Gypsies and Jews in Jasenovac. The knife has no hilt nor handle, the blade is attached to the external side of the hand by some kind of leather glove."

Utter bewilderment was clearly visible on the faces of the people present in the room.

- "How do you know this, Em?" JJ was in awe of her girlfriend.

- "When the ambassador was in Rome, we made a diplomatic visit to what was the former-Yugoslavia. The concentration camp of Jasenovac was on the program." Prentiss shrugged, like it was no big deal.

- "It's a very specific weapon, maybe Garcia can find if someone bought one online." Hotch made the call while the other profilers and the detective pondered this new piece of information, trying to see how it could fit into the jigsaw this case was.

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, conference room, 20.00 GMT-5 =_

Hotch looked at his agents before coming to a decision. "We're getting nowhere and it has been a long day. Go to the hotel and rest. We meet here again at 8 tomorrow."

All but Emily started to gather their stuffs. The profiler was looking intently at the white boards. At the victims and all the informations they had collected so far. Looking at her girlfriend, JJ was certain Emily hadn't heard Hotch dismissing them for the day. She walked to her and lightly rested her hand on the other woman's shoulder, mindful of not scaring her. Sensing the weight and the heat of another person behind her, Emily turned her head and met the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. "Hey" she said tiredly. "You ok?"

- "Exhausted. We're done for tonight. Morgan and Reid are waiting for us outside. Come on, we're going at the hotel."

- "I can't JJ, there's something I'm missing. I'm certain it's so obvious, it's right there, staring at me in the face, I'm just not seeing it."

- "Em, you haven't had a break in hours, nor ate. That's why you can't figure it out, you need to rest."

- "The answer is right there, Jen" Prentiss pointed at the boards. "I am so close I can feel it. And when I'll find out, I know I will want to kick myself all the way across the Atlantic and back for not having made the link sooner." Emily's voice had trailed and her last words were barely above a whisper.

If you'd later ask JJ about Emily's epiphany, the blonde agent would have swore up and down she could have heard and seen the cogs turning into her girlfriend's mind.

- "Of course! That's it! Jayj, you need to call back the team." Emily couldn't believe she hadn't seen it earlier and couldn't refrain a 'palmface' motion. _'Jeez, what a profiler you are, Prentiss!'_ she thought. She took her phone which was on the table and made a call. "PG, I need you to check something for me."

* * *

**Ta-dah! (insert drum rolls here) Soooooooo, what is Emily's eureka moment about?**


	5. Chapter 5

**I apologise for possible grammatical errors, english isn't my first language (technically speaking, it's my 3rd one) and I'm pretty much self-taught. I don't purposely butcher the language so don't hesitate to correct me if needed, I don't have a beta. **

**I also tend to use british english words and spellings, but I guess you already noticed XD**

**I know a few authors on the site got their stories pulled out as they were judged too graphic. I do humbly believe that what I write isn't more graphic or explicit than what you could see in any half decent crime show or film, read in any good crime/thriller novel or more generally see on prime time TV.**

**It's my first time writing a sex scene and I'm not quite sure about it. Don't forget to review the chapter to let me know what you think and you'll get virtual cookies and high-fives!**

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, conference room, 20.10 GMT-5 =_

- "PG, I need you to check something for me. Can you pull out the vics' family histories?

- "Sure thing princess. Anything I have to be on the look out for?"

- "I want to know where they come from and when did they emigrate to the States."

- "I'm all over it."

The line went dead and the team, followed by Det. Beauchamps, entered the room. Without missing a beat, Emily addressed them.

- "Look at the names."

They all looked at her like she was a madwoman and she let out a groan of frustration.

- "The victims' names. Look at the victims' names! What do you see?"

She was impatiently tapping her foot, waiting for understanding to dawn on her fellow agents and friends like it had dawned on her a few moments ago. She kept her eyes trained on the faces in front of her, waiting for the flash of recognition to hit.

- "They all have germanic names!" Reid couldn't believe they hadn't seen it. "That what's they have in common!"

- "How did you figured it out, Prentiss?" Hotch had a new-found respect for the agent's observational skills.

- "I said something about wanting to kick myself across the Atlantic and back. It clicked."

- "I can't believe we missed this. It was so glaringly obvious." Rossi was shaking his head in disbelief.

- "We hit the ground running, the absence of coherent MO and the apparently random victimology side-tracked us. At least now we made the connection between all the 4 victims."

Hotch was on his way to say more when Emily's phone rang.

- "Garcia, you're on speaker."

- "Hello my very mighty crime-fighters. Our vics all have roots in Germany or Austria. Their families emigrated to the US between august 1945 and october 1947."

- "You're the best, Pen!"

- "I aim to please, princess." Garcia replied saucily and Emily rolled her eyes.

- "Does everything you say need to be filled with sexual innuendos, Garcia?"

- "You wouldn't have it any other way, boss man. Go catch the bad guy, my fine furry shield-bearing friends!"

- "So all the victims are 2nd or 3rd generation of German- or Austrian-Americans..." Det. Beauchamps rubbed his tired eyes. "That's just great, it's not like Pennsylvania doesn't have an almost endless pool of potential targets for our unsub." His tone was more desperate than sarcastic, they all knew why. They had taken one step forward by linking the victims, but their ethnic backgrounds made them go back two steps. "We have one of the largest german community in the entire country. We can't protect everyone."

For the second time tonight, Hotch dismissed everyone. This time though, Emily followed.

* * *

_= Cleveland OH, 18.45 GMT-5 =_

"Let's proceed, shall we?" I look at the 2 poor excuses for human beings in front of me and my anger flares. I let the top of the blade rake over the guy's torso.

"John, John, John... You weren't suppose to be here today. I do get 2 for the price of 1 one though, who am I to complain, really. I promise I will take good care of you... and your mother."

I grip the knife tighter and places it on Laura's forehead.

"But before we get to know each other better, let me show you why I'm doing what I do."

In two swift and precise movements, a bloody swastika is now etched on the woman. I've got plenty of practice by now, it makes it all seem so... effortless. I smile even wider when I see the look of abject horror on John's face.

"Don't you think Mummy looks perfect now, little Johnny? It's such an appropriate symbol for the abomination she is."

She squirms in her chair, trying to escape. I know she won't be successful, I made sure the duct tape wouldn't budge. I make a long cut on her right side, from the collarbone to her elbow. Deep enough to draw blood but not kill. As her mouth is taped shut, all she can do is groan in pain. Another few seconds tick by and I add another cut, on her left side this time. She is already begging me to stop with her eyes, I know she won't last long so I decide to turn my attention toward her son.

"What am I gonna do to you, pretty boy? So many possibilities, so very little time... Oh yes, I know!"

A devilish appears on my face.

"Your _'Opa Walter' _was very fond of torture, did you know? His tool of choice was a knife and look at what I'm holding, isn't this a lucky coincidence?"

Judging by his reaction of pure terror, he is well aware of what his ancestor did. It makes what I am going to do all the more enjoyable. His eyes are trained on the blade... and I get to work.

* * *

_= Pittsburgh PA, restaurant of the hotel, BAU's table, 21.30 GMT-5 =_

"_Hotchner... We'll be outside in 5 minutes." _Hotch put his phone back in his pocket.

- "What's going on, Aaron?"

Of course, leave it to Rossi to be the one asking.

- "Get your go-bags. We meet in the lobby in 2 minutes, I'll explain then."

Less than 2 minutes later, 5 tired and very curious agents were looking at their unit chief.

- "We've got another crime scene."

Morgan punched the nearest wall. "I am sick of always being behind this guy!"

- "Where are we going Hotch? You told us to take our go-bags so I assume it's not in Pittsburgh." Reid wondered

- "Cleveland. We're driving with the lights and sirens on."

* * *

_= Cleveland OH, crime scene, 23.00 GMT-5 =_

After breaking all the speed limitations and made their drive to Ohio in record time, the BAU stopped the SUVs in front of the house, tires screeching on the asphalt.

- "SSA Hotchner, FBI. Who's in charge?"

- "That would be me. Det. Miller."

- "What can you tell us?"

- "The victims were found 2 hours ago by a neighbour who was coming for bridge night. She called 911 and we were on the scene 10 minutes later."

- "Wait, did you say victims?"

- "Yes, agent Hotchner. 2. Mother and son. Laura Kohl, 62; and John Kohl, 41. They're in the living-room. I, erm, I must warn you, they... it's a real slaughter. I've been on the job for 2 decades and I've never seen anything like this."

Hotch nodded and the team strolled inside. The scene which greeted them was one the nightmares are made of.

The mother was held tightly on a chair by duct tape, several cuts on both her arms and throat slit from ear to ear.

The body of her son was standing stretched upward, his arms held above his head by a rope going through a hook on the ceiling. His body was covered in so much blood, there wasn't a single inch which wasn't painted dark red.

"I'm the M.E. You are the FBI?" Not waiting for an answer, he began rattling his observations. "He has numerous cuts on both his arms, his torso, his back. 4 of his toes and 7 of his fingers have been amputated. He is also missing his ears, and his eyes have been gouged out. I would say the cause of death is a slashed carotid artery, but I'll get back at you on that."

The BAU profilers were looking at the bloody scene, trying hard to keep their composure. Even the usually unflappable Hotch and Prentiss let out a somewhat shaky breath.

- "Have you found any of the body parts?" Rossi asked.

- "No, but we're not done processing the entire house yet."

- "Morgan, Prentiss, JJ, you take upstairs. Rossi, Reid and I stay downstairs."

The team split, each agent going in a different direction.

- "Jayj?" Emily called the woman who was going through the room on the other side of the corridor.

- "Found something Em?"

- "I don't know, you tell me."

JJ started looking around. "This is a nursery."

- "Yup. There's a travel carrier in the corner, a half-empty milk bottle on the changing table and the sheets and covers in the crib are crumpled."

- "There was a baby here tonight." JJ was matter-of-factly. "Where is he or she? Did anyone say anything about a baby?" JJ's maternal instincts were kicking in fully. "Do you think the unsub...?"

- "Took him? The detective said the victim should have had hosted bridge night. Maybe one of the neighbouring kids is baby-sitting." Emily tried to find an explanation to ease JJ's obvious concern.

- "I'll go downstairs to ask Miller. You're good here Em?"

- "I'm fine. Go."

Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, JJ started to call for Det. Miller but a scream coming from upstairs cut her short. A split second later she was on top of the stairs, her gun drawn. She ran into the nursery, having recognised from who the scream came from. "Emily?"

The brunette profiler was standing frozen on the spot in front of what JJ assumed to be an open closet. She came closer and call for her girlfriend again. "Emily?"

- "No!" Emily said forcefully "Don't come any closer Jennifer! Please."

The use of her full first name while on the clock and the pleading voice made JJ stop dead in her tracks.

- "Ok Em, I won't. What happened?"

- "Call the M.E."

By now, the rest of the team had come into the room and had heard Emily's last sentence. JJ left to go get the M.E., and Hotch spoke softly. "Prentiss?"

- "Hotch, get out of the room. None of you needs to see this, trust me."

- "Princess..."

- "For once in your life, do what you've been told, Derek!" her voice oscillating between a plea, annoyance and anger.

- "We're leaving." Rossi said, as much for her as for the other agents. JJ came back right at this moment, the M.E. in tow.

- "Don't let JJ come inside! Doctor, would you close the door behind you please?"

Standing in the corridor, 5 FBI agents were left to wonder. They'd never seen Emily so shaken up. She was the woman who walked into unsubs' houses head on and gun blazing, who saw the same unspeakable things they did, who got stabbed by a 2 by and 4 wielded by her nemesis and almost died... but she hadn't blink once. She was a Prentiss, after all.

A few minutes which felt like days later, the room opened up and Emily slipped out, closing again the door shut behind her. They all looked at her and groaned inwardly at her demeanour. The infamous Prentiss walls were up in full force, she was more closed off than Fort Knox and as cold as the entire Antarctica. Looking up at Hotch, she ordered more than asked in a voice completely devoid of emotions

- "Can we go find a hotel for the night, sir?"

Sensing that arguing with her that they weren't done going through the house wouldn't get him anywhere, Hotch simply agreed and the 6 agents left the crime scene for the Bed & Breakfast Det. Miller said he had called for them.

* * *

_= Cleveland OH, B&B, JJ and Emily's room, 00.00 GMT-5 =_

JJ closed the door with her heel and let the 2 go-bag she was carrying fell heavily on the ground. Yes, she was tired but more than anything she was worried about Emily. The woman standing in front of her hadn't say a word or made eye-contact with any of them since they left the crime scene. Even know, in the privacy of their room, she wasn't looking at her and was instead burning holes in the carpet.

- "Please Jennifer, make me feel."

Emily sounded so fragile, so hurt, so... broken. The words hit JJ square in the chest. Emily backed her up against the wall, dark eyes never leaving blue ones for the first time in half an hour. JJ couldn't read a single emotion in the chocolate orbs, it was like staring into a bottomless pit.

- "Em?"

- "I need you Jen."

The next second, her lips were pressed against the blonde's ones in a hard kiss. JJ could taste the fear, the pain, the despair, pouring out of the older woman. Emily detached herself from JJ enough to murmur into her girlfriend's ear.

- _"_Te necesito tanto, amor mío."

Emily only spoke to her in spanish when she was so overwhelmed by emotions she couldn't neatly stash away in one of her renowned compartments. JJ took hold of Emily's right hand and placed it onto her heart, her other hand going up to craddle the brunette's face, forcing the woman to look at her.

- "I love you." She tried to convey as much emotions as she could in those 3 little words, and emphasised them by bestowing a kiss which spoke of all she was feeling and that words could never properly express on the normally unshakable profiler's lips. She let her hands roam on Emily's back and sides, the brunette snaking her hands on the blonde's hips. JJ carefully walked them to the bed, lips and tongues still tangled in a searing kiss. By the time the back of Emily's knees hit the mattress, JJ had gotten her out of her shirt and was now making quick work of the bra, opening it with a flick of her wrist and discarding it on the floor. Never pulling apart, she pushed Emily on the bed and straddled her thighs, reaching for the trademark off-centered belt which always drove her wild.

- "Undress too, Jen."

- "It's about you, Em."

- "I need to feel your skin."

Granting her lover's request, JJ got rid off her dress pants, shirt, and bra, her boyshorts remaining the only piece of clothing she kept on before straddling Emily again. She deftly finished working on the belt before opening the button and sliding the zipper of the dress pants down. She gently pressed on Emily's shoulders, signalling to the woman to lay down. She stood up and took hold of the waist of the profiler's trousers and underwear, and slowly slid them down toned legs.

"Middle of the bed, Em."

Emily obliged and crawled on the bed to lay on her back. JJ followed suit and covered the dark-haired woman's body with her own, attacking her neck, leaving hot, open mouthed kisses, nips and soothing licks, a hand tweaking sensitive nipples. Emily's breath was ragged and moans were filling the air around them. JJ's went down the body of the woman she loved, lavishing every millimeters of skin on her path. She reached protruding hipbones, nicking them lightly and was going to dip down further south when the hand in her hairs stopped her course and tugged her upwards.

"I want to be able to see you." Emily begged.

JJ smiled her understanding and kissed again swollen lips. Two fingers entered her and Emily had to tore her mouth away to gulp some much needed fresh air. She was already so very close and sensing this, JJ quickened her pace, the heel of her hand hitting an engorged clit every time.

The orgasm that washed over Emily for several blissful seconds was what it took to let her emotions reign free, and they broke down her walls like a dam cracking under too much pressure. Tears poured out in heart wrenching sobs, making her whole body shake. JJ hold her close and rocked her, whispering comforting words and caressing her hair until her girlfriend fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.  
Emily had cried very long minutes for the tortured son, the raped daughter, and for the little baby girl in the closet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow! I must say I am slightly overwhelmed by the reviews I've been getting. It seems I've placed the bar quite high and I am now somehow afraid I won't be able to top it off in the later chapters. I promise I will do my very best to not let you down :)**

* * *

_= Cleveland OH, B&B, JJ and Emily's room, 08.30 GMT-5 =_

The sound of a phone buzzing on the nightstand woke her up.

- "Jareau"

- "JJ, can you and Prentiss be downstairs in 30 minutes?"

- "Yeah. See you then Hotch."

Not bothering to disconnect the call, she simply tossed the phone aside, muttering something which suspiciously sounded like _'I swear on all that's holy, I will use my blackberry for target practice someday'_. Turning around, she let her fingertips trace random patterns on the very defined stomach belonging to a gorgeous, sleeping, brunette.

- "Emily"

Receiving no reactions, she spoke louder "Emily Prentiss, time to wake up."

Sighing when her girlfriend showed no signs of moving, she went for the kill and whispered into her ear.

- "Em, I'm horny."

Eyes still closed, Emily mumbled sleepily

- "I can help with that."

JJ laughed softly, thinking _'Yup, works every single time.'_

- "As much as I'd love to indulge you, we don't have time baby. The team is expecting us in 28 minutes."

Emily opened her eyes.

"You're mean and they're meaner."

JJ laughed louder.

- "Stop pouting like Henry, you're not 5 years old anymore. I'll let you shower with me if you promise to keep your hands for yourself."

A playful glint appeared in Emily's eyes.

- "And no funny business either!"

- "You're no fun Jayj!"

- "You know I really wouldn't mind, and neither would Morgan if we show up late."

- "Goddamn Derek Morgan and his relentless teasing. He is such a cockblock." Emily grumbled sombrely.

- "Sorry to break it to you, but you don't have the right parts for this, sweetheart." JJ giggled.

- "Yeah, yeah, detail... Shower. Now!"

Emily pushed the covers away and began to stand up when JJ caught her hand, looking serious.

- "Em, how are you?"

- "I'm fine." Looking at JJ in the eyes, she repeated "I swear to you, I am fine. You brought me back. You always have been the only one able to do that."

Searching into the dark orbs, JJ could read Emily was telling the truth, the life and warmth were back into the chocolate eyes.

- "Come on Jen, we have to get ready if we want to start the day without having to suffer through Morgan's dirty jokes over breakfast."

Standing up and entering the bathroom, JJ sighed "You know what? I agree with you, your best friend is a cockblock."

The only answer she received was a giggle before she got dragged under the hot spray. For the next 10 minutes, the case and Derek Morgan weren't anywhere near the front of her mind.

* * *

_= Cleveland OH, precinct, 10.00 GMT-5 =_

- "Detective Miller."

- "Good morning agent Hotchner."

- "I'm afraid I've been rude last night and forgot to introduce my team. SSA Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, Jareau and Dr Reid."

A round of handshakes was exchanged.

- "Your technical analyst, Penelope Garcia, called earlier to ask for an email address to send your 4 case files from Pittsburgh to. She did sound awfully chipper for such a time of the day, if I must say so myself... Anyway, do you know why our guy is now in Cleveland?"

- "We know he is targeting members of the German-Austrian-American communities."

- "Then, Ohio and Pennsylvania are the perfect hunting grounds for him, agent Hotchner. The CSU and autopsies reports should come in anytime now. I would imagine you'd like to take your quarters somewhere around here?"

- "A conference room would be perfect, detective."

Miller scratched his neck. "We're limited in term of space right now, the building is undergoing some renovation work. All I can offer you is an aquarium..."

- "Excuse me for interrupting, but what is an aquarium? I don't expect you mean it literally, do you?" Reid was looking clueless and JJ took pity on him.

- "An aquarium is cop-slang for an interrogation room, Spence."

- "Where did you find him?" Miller whispered.

- "He was left in a basket on the steps of the FBI." Rossi deadpanned.

- "An IR will be fine, thank you. We will need an extra table, some more chairs and if you could find us a board?"

- "I'll have the boys get you whatever you need, agent Hotchner."

* * *

_= Cleveland, interrogation room, 10.30 GMT-5 =_

The BAU was now settled in the cramped room but they weren't complaining, they had worked in worse conditions before. Once they all had taken a seat, Det. Miller updated them on the latest developments.

- "We finished processing the house at 2AM last night. The missing body parts were found in the garbage outside the house. Your guy is either a die-hard ecologist or he has a disturbing, god-awful sense of humour. The bin they were found in? It was labelled 'compost'." The FBI agents grimaced lightly, the detective continued his presentation "So far, CSU hasn't found any traces not belonging to the victims. Same with the note your agent found."

Before anyone could ask what he was talking about, the beep signalling an incoming message resonated in the room.

- "The reports are ready. Do you mind if I go get them?"

- "Of course not detective."

Hotch was glad for the call, he wanted to talk to Prentiss without the presence of a foreigner to the team. Once Miller was out of earshot, he glared at the dark-haired profiler.

- "Note? What note?"

- "I was going to tell you. It was with..."

They all could see the pain in her eyes and Hotch felt guilty for having been so harsh with her.

- "It said _'Debts have to be settled'_ and 2 names were written underneath. I texted them to Garcia before breakfast."

- "Call her and see if she's found something."

Prentiss complied to Hotch's order and pulled out her phone.

- "Talk dirty to me, princess."

- "Good morning to you too, oh sexiest hacker on the planet."

- "Are you hitting on me agent Prentiss? Tell me, is your gorgeous, yet deadly, girlfriend listening? If so, I suggest you strap on your kevlar and hope you run faster than a bullet."

Morgan decided to intervene "You're on speaker, baby girl."

- "Not a problem, I charge extra for groups."

Miller, who had come back into the room in the mean time, was staring at the phone, his mouth agape and a shocked expression on his face. Emily decided to save further embarrassment for later.

- "PG, did you find anything about the names I texted you?"

- "Walter Kohl, born in 1915 in Mainz, Germany. Emigrated here in september 1945, married Hannelore Richter in 1948, daughter Laura born in 1950. He died in 2008. He was an exemplary citizen, I can't even find a parking ticket."

- "He is our victim's father?"

- "And grandfather, my fair and blonde media liaison."

- "Why did the unsub gave us his name?" Rossi thought out loud.

- "That, my cannoli, is your job to find out."

Rossi couldn't believe he had been called after an italian pastry but he had to swallow back his answer when Emily cut him short.

- "What about the second name, Thomas Wolfberger-Heinz?"

- "I looked at every databases I could think of. Nothing. Are you sure it's the right name Em?" Garcia asked, even if she already knew the answer.

- "I'm certain."

The heavy silence that had fallen was broken long seconds later by JJ's voice.

- "What if... What if we were looking at it the wrong way? Or more exactly, the wrong continent? All the victims originates either from Austria or from Germany. What if this Thomas was still living in Europe?"

- "It could be possible. Garcia, can you access Interpol files?"

- "Dr Reid, for a genius, you do ask a lot of dumb questions. I'll put my beauties to work. I'm outta here."

- "Your technical analyst is one of a kind."

- "You have no idea, detective." Morgan said lightly. "You should see her office."

- "Could we see the reports, detective?"

- "One second Reid. Det. Miller, would you mind giving us a moment alone?"

The detective looked surprised but left the room as Prentiss had asked him.

- "I don't want you to look at the nursery's pictures or the baby's autopsy." she said resolutely.

- "Emily, it's our job, we can't decide to skip over things. We're profilers, we've all seen what human beings are able to do to each other."

- "Right, like I could forget, Hotch." Emily snorted. "Do you think I don't know this? Do you think I don't know what we see every day? That we all have nightmares almost every night? Our job isn't just a job, it's a calling, but it's also a burden we carry around. Only one of us needs to carry this specific burden. Do me this favour. Please."

Emily was begging her team, who was looking at her speechless. Prentiss had proven time and time again she would do anything to protect them, as the Doyle episode showed clearly, but never in a million years they thought she would try to shield them from a crime scene. Hotch suspected it was because it concerned a baby, and those cases where the ones which hit the unit the hardest. He understood where she was coming from and tried to negotiate.

- "Why not letting us read the reports, but not look at the photographs?"

- "Hotch, I can't do this. You're all the very bests at this job, your brains won't have any issues to provide you with the images corresponding to the descriptions." She sighed. "No reports. No photographs. I'll tell you if any evidence was recovered."

- "Princess, we need to be able to profile the scene and victimology." Morgan said quietly, knowing he was going to elicit a reaction from Prentiss, and boy, was he right.

She stood up so fast, her chair toppled to the ground. Resting the palms of her hands on the table to steady herself, she grounded between clenched teeth.

- "Not this crime scene. Not this victim."

They were at a stand-off, waiting to see who would blink first. The tension in the air was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. After a few moments, a voice broke the deafening silence.

- "Em, what did... what did he do to her?"

Emily turned her head to look at the only person who would have had enough guts to dare asking the question. Her girlfriend.

- "We've seen much, much worse. She looked like she was sleeping."

- "You didn't answer my question."

- "Jen..."

- "Emily?"

The brunette let herself fall on her chair she had picked up from the floor. "No sexual assault, no torture. COD was a broken neck. She didn't suffer. She didn't even realised what was happening."

- "But there's something more, something you're not telling us, isn't it?"

- "Jennifer." Emily's voice was between a plea and a warning "Please don't make me tell you."

JJ studied intently her girlfriend's face before nodding imperceptibly at Hotch. Emily let out a breath.

- "We'll treat the 6 other murders and let the one of the baby aside. For now."

- "Sarah."

- "What?"

- "Sarah, her name is Sarah, Hotch." she replied in a whisper.

Seeing what she was willingly putting herself through to protect them was driving Morgan crazy. He was one second away from calling her on it when Hotch ordered him to go get Det. Miller so they could start working.

- "Sorry for making you wait, we had a few details internal to this team to work through."

Miller nodded at Hotch but didn't say anything. He was well aware how the FBI was generally disliked by local PDs, and how profilers were more often than not perceived as arrogant charlatans. To be entirely truthful, he had shared these feelings himself, until last night. He had seen how shaken up the hot dark-haired agent had been after finding the kid. He made a mental note to invite her for a drink later. A question Hotch asked him jolted him back to the present and he realised he had gotten lost in his thoughts.

- "Sorry, I was thinking about something. What did you say?"

- "I asked if you were willing to to walk us through Laura Walter's autopsy report."

- "Sure, of course." He flipped open the file in front of him and started skimming it. "She was drugged, traces of a rapid-action anaesthetics were found in her blood. Succinylcholine has a short effect, approximately 10 minutes. It was enough time for the perp to tie her to the chair. The M.E. counted 2 cuts on each arm. She was killed at the same time as her son."

- "The son of a bitch made her watch." Morgan stated. "He is a sadist. He gets off on inflicting pain. Having an audience would have been the ultimate turn-on."

- "Speaking of the son" Reid jumped in "he was also drugged. His arms, back, and torso bear 19 cuts of various depths. The amputations were done ante-mortem, and so were the enucleations. The M.E. found scrapes and nicks on the orbital bone, indicating the eyes were removed with the knife that was used to inflicts the cuts."

Listening to Reid's summary, Miller had turn a shade of light green.

- "I... Excuse me." He succeeded to say before dashing out of the room.

- "Beating, drowning, strangulation, stabbing, torture, rape and slit throats. Different killing methods in two different cities, different sexual orientations, different genders: 4 of the victims were males, 3 females. The ages range from 62 to... Prentiss?"

- "5 months, Rossi."

- "7 people are dead and we're not any closer of catching him."

They'd never seen Rossi so frustrated, not even when he was working on the unsolved cold case which had plagued him for 20 years before they cracked it and caught the clown who was responsible for the double-murder.

- "We need to go public. Maybe someone knows something without realising it. JJ?"

- "I'll work on a communiqué to release and I'll see when I can arrange a televised press conference, Hotch."

Det. Miller came back inside the room. "I'm sorry, I..."

Morgan clapped him on the shoulder. "No need to apologise, we've all been there at one time or an other."

- "Detective, would it be possible to ask the community leaders to come for an interview at the precinct?" Hotch asked the Cleveland native.

- "I'll start making calls right now."

* * *

_= Quantico VA, Garcia's office, 12.00 GMT-5 =_

Her phone rang and she looked at the caller ID, a habit she had picked up since the Strauss 'incident' a few years back. + . International call. Weird.

- "You've reached the office of FBI technical analyst Penelope Garcia. How may I help you?"

- "Hi Penelope, it's Steffie. Steffie Bankhauser from the Stuttgart _Polizei_. Do you remember me?"

- "How could I forget you, you're my favourite german cop, my lovely."

On the other side of the line, Steffie laughed "You haven't changed one bit, Garcia."

- "That's how you love me, pussycat. How is your gorgeous girlfriend doing? What time is it on your side of the pond anyway? It must be freakishly early!

- "6AM. I just started my shift. Sofie is great, thanks for asking. Listen Pen, I've got a question for you. I received an alert that someone from the FBI was trying to consult one of my cold cases. Could you find who it is? I'm sorry to bother you with this but I figured it would be faster to call you than to go throw the bureaucratic channels."

- "Please Steffie, it's child's play. I can do your research while simultaneously participate in Tetris tournaments and run the AT&M network."

Steffie could swear she heard Garcia rolling her eyes.

- "You've got a name for me, gorgeous?"

- "Thomas Wolfberger-Heinz."

* * *

**Another cliffhanger? Yes, I know I am evil :D**


End file.
